TCV Q&A: Lip mics, ‘freakers’ & facing criticism

18:11Ali Bruce-Ball:Yeah, I mean, quite often I think when you're interviewing players, particularly towards the end of their careers, and the ones stick out, don't they, who are good talkers, as we would say, who you think might be good at it. Those are the kind of names you'd put forward. I was able to recruit Thomas Frank for the BBC for the Euros for Germany because we'd had a little get-together, and I said, do you fancy doing any media work? Got his agent's number, and the rest, as they say, is history.

18:41Ian Dennis:Didn't get a commission, though, or a finis fee. And also, sometimes I've found that you end up sitting and working with people that you would never, ever have expected would eventually go on to work in the media. I don't think there's any better example of that than Robbie Savage from the time I used to commentate on Robbie. I would never have expected in 100 years that he would end up working alongside us so often. And as well now, there are some that, you know, we do get asked, don't we, who do you think might work? And I know you've worked with Michael O 'Neill, Ian. And, you know, Michael's got his hands full at the moment with two jobs, never mind working in the media.

19:20Ian Dennis:But, you know, I always think that he's someone who I'd really like to work alongside. Because I think he's got a great deal to offer. and on a similar theme, Northern Ireland, Wales. Also falling into the category of someone that you would have thought, well, I wouldn't imagine that we'd ever work alongside him. I think Craig Bellamy would be an excellent summariser. I think he would have lots to say. There was a funny story with Michael O 'Neill very briefly because I'd worked with him at Newcastle and I was sat down in our commage position at St. James' Park and then maybe a couple of years later, I'd finished a game in Madrid, did the game with Chris Waddle And of course, he and Chris would have played together, I'm sure, at Newcastle.

20:02So I went up to Michael at the bar and I said, oh, Michael, I said, Ian Dennis, Five Live. And he sort of like took a step back, looked me up and down and went, you're tall, aren't you? And I went, yeah, but we have worked together. He said, yeah, but he said, you were sat down. I never realized how big you were.

20:20Ali Bruce-Ball:He didn't say that to me.

20:24Ian Dennis:Okay, this is a fun one. Matt in York has got in touch and he says, Did you hear what the commentator said during the Six Nations game between Italy and Scotland when a player suffered the misfortune to have his shorts and undergarments slip southwards? They're challenging most of the Scottish lineups now. Zandermin is huge for six foot eight seconds. Oh, hello. It was night time right now. One! Ah, it is both waxing and waning. okay scotland use anyway scotland on the attack again in good position andrew cotter in good form and matt says i just wondered if any of you chaps have ever seen a little bit too much during a game

21:09Ali Bruce-Ball:and had to search for a good euphemism that's a great example though isn't it of um it'd be great to get andrew cotter on this podcast because i do think he is one of the very best commentators that is quickness of thought, that, to come up with the Bon Mo without making it too obvious. Television's a different thing, isn't it? He doesn't have to describe what he's seeing there. People can see it. So you then need to add, you know, add the phrase, the right words to it. But I do think he is a genius, Andrew. He is a brilliant commentator.

21:41Ian Dennis:I mean, we've had time, not so much recently, but, you know, in times past, because it just doesn't seem to happen so often anymore. but the era of the streaker seems to have been consigned to history and that reminds me of the great test match special commentary with john arlett when these this was one of the first streakers wasn't i think it was an ashes test match and the guy runs on with no clothes on and uh and hurdles the stumps and john arlett says it's a freaker it's a freaker a freaker and he describes how the policeman how the policeman comes onto the field and catches him and takes him away and he says and I think he's seen his last cricket for the day and a freaker

22:32Ali Bruce-Ball:we've got a freaker down the wicket now not very shapely and it's masculine and I would think it's seen the last of its cricket for the day the police are mustard so are the cameramen and Greg Chappell and he's had his load, he's being embraced by a blonde policeman and this may be his last public appearance but what a splendid one the use of language, I mean we talk about that all the time in this pod don't we but the use of language, Bill McLaren was another one who just had a brilliant turn of phrase I can't think of any examples like that but I remember someone's boot came off and he talked about someone losing a slipper like that, which I just thought, you know, it's just different, isn't it?

23:17Ali Bruce-Ball:It's just such a skill.

23:19Ian Dennis:James in Brighton says, I was at the Brighton-Arsenal match, as were you, Ali, weren't you? Yeah. If I remember rightly. And James says, Frankly, I want Arsenal to give me my money back. I've got no problem with the fact they won, but the manner of the goal seemed to so discombobulate the Arsenal players, it made them so dizzy that they couldn't stand up afterwards. And I'm sure I saw Raya take a nap when he went down at the hour mark. Arsenal will be worthy champions, says James. But thank goodness I don't have to watch 11 millionaires fall down for 90 minutes every week. As commentators, whether you're for or against Arsenal's or any other team's style of play, how do you avoid your personal views entering your commentary?

24:08Ian Dennis:which is a very good question actually from James after he's vented his spleen there or says James do you vent it in the pub afterwards or maybe it's not such an issue for you since you watch so much football and have probably seen every sort of tactic in your time just before we answer that

24:24Ali Bruce-Ball:excellent question on the first part of that all teams do that and I think James knows that and Arsenal are there to be shot at at the moment and I'm you know I'm no Arsenal fan but that was particularly fuelled by fabian herzler talking about arsenal in the week in the run-up to the game and as soon as anything happened that night the brighton fans were on top of arsenal which exaggerated it even more i know what james is talking about you know and it does go on teams get ahead and and they do it but it's but it's it's extremely frustrating to watch it's extremely frustrating when it's against your team but it's it's not just arsenal who do that um what what What about, Denno, what would you say about the personal views entering your commentary?

25:10I think you've got to just commentate on how you see it. Recently, in a recent Champions League game, I thought the refereeing from the Italian Newcastle United-Barcelona was weak. And I thought that two Barcelona players should have been booked. And I was quite forthright in my opinion with that. I always find a greater difficulty on social media regarding personal opinions. Whereas I think when you're doing a commentary, you're very much off the cuff aren't you you're reacting to what you've seen

25:38Ali Bruce-Ball:yeah it's an interesting line to tread as well isn't it because obviously we during a commentary we have a summariser with us and their job is very much to not only provide the insight but bring the opinion but I think our listeners know we have watched plenty of football over the years and I think they don't want us just to be bland and I know our main job is to describe the action but they they want opinion and how we see it as well don't they yeah it's impossible i think it's impossible

26:08Ian Dennis:not to because we're watching sports we're commentating on it but we're watching sport and the emotion is in is such a big part of that isn't it it's it's almost impossible not to you know something happens that you feel deserves comment but it comes back to the basics of of our journalistic training, isn't it? That you want to be fair and as impartial as you can be. So as long as it's fair comment, then, you know, you are staying within the bounds of our terms of employment.

26:42Ali Bruce-Ball:Yeah, and it's about being professional. Yeah, I mean, and there is a divide.

26:48Ian Dennis:James asked the question, you know, do you have ended your feelings in the pub afterwards? Well, that's got to be for us as commentators. there has to be a very clear dividing line between what you would say on it and what you

27:01Ali Bruce-Ball:would say in the club afterwards yeah I mean not everyone would know this but you know I've been an Ipswich Town fan for a long time ever since I was a kid and I'm not you know I support them from afar now and you know I look out for their result whatever but I commentated on them in the Premier League last season and I don't think anyone could accuse me of of biasing I mean you're more likely to go the other way you're more likely to go against your own team than kind of than for your own team I mean in in all the years I've been doing this job they've not been in the Premier League very much so it's not really been much of a problem sadly

27:35Ian Dennis:Before we do more listeners questions just a moment to tell you about some of our Five Live commentaries this weekend if you are listening to this on Friday the day of release at 7.45 it will be England-Uruguay from Wembley the friendly international Saturday 1.30 Manchester United Manchester City at Old Trafford in the WSL then we'll be going around the grounds in League 1 and League 2 and on Sunday at midday more WSL as Chelsea play Aston Villa but lots and lots of commentary on all of those various internationals and I think some of the World Cup playoffs as well are absolutely fascinating so you'll hear all of that covered on 5 Live and BBC Sounds

28:24Ali Bruce-Ball:New teams New rules A new era Formula One returns The engines are revving People are getting excited Hear every race live on BBC Sounds It's all ice and the lights Hands for dinner floor On 5 Live Sports All right, two truths and a lie. Here we go. I went to college with college football coach Jim McElwain. I began my broadcasting career doing play-by-play for the Las Vegas Stars, and I've been a Verizon customer for 15 years. Okay, I lied. All three are true. Verizon isn't as expensive as you think. In fact, if you bring in your AT &T or T-Mobile bill to a Verizon store, they'll give you a better deal.

29:14That's right, a better deal on the best network with the most ways to save on plans, streaming, and phone deals. So take that AT &T or T-Mobile bill to your local Verizon store today, get a better deal, and start saving. Based on Root Metrics, best overall mobile network performance, U.S. second half 2025. All Rights Reserved must provide recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions, and restrictions apply. Hi, I'm Alicia. And I'm Stacy. And we make Trashy Divorces, everybody's favorite good podcast about bad relationships. Looking for something true crimey without the gore or the body count?

29:51We've been churning out funny, feisty, feminist episodes since 2019. So if you're looking to put some scandalous stories told well into your ears this summer, check out Trashy Divorces wherever you listen to podcasts. Trust us, we've covered someone you love. Or someone you love to hate.

30:12Ali Bruce-Ball:The Commentator's View on the Football Daily with Alistair Bruce Ball, John Murray and Ian Dennis. Right, Ian's got to shoot, so goodbye to Ian. And we will do this one from another Ian in Ellesmere Port. Dear TCV, I was amused in a recent edition of the podcast to hear John Murray say that he was present at the coupon-busting match between Harrogate Town and Cambridge United. Assuming that attending a League Two basement team's home match was not an official five-live assignment for the Chief. Very good, Ian. Could it be that John attended the match as a regular fan? I love the idea that even after a bi-weekly regime of premiership, Champions League and international commentaries, John's enthusiasm for football is still strong enough to want to watch League Two football in his downtime.

31:01Ali Bruce-Ball:I'd like to ask the team, how often do each of them manage to attend a game as a regular paying fan? Are you still able to lose yourself in the game, or are you still commentating along in your head, or searching for apt phrases that could be used in a future live commentary? Have you ever forgotten yourself and burst out into commentary mode, despite not having a microphone in hand? John?

31:23Ian Dennis:Very much no, the answer to the last question. And also, no, I'm not standing there commentating along in my head either. but you know recently you you went to watch six nations didn't you i mean i love to go and watch in the summer i love i love going to watch county championship cricket of which has become real a real thing for me over the course of um recent years when i get the opportunity and i enjoy going to pay to stand on the terraces and i enjoy experiencing that and seeing what it's like and what people do and you know well first and foremost i'm going to say the football match but um you know how how people are what they do how how yeah i think it's important to remember what what it's like to be there as a football fan and standing on the terraces and and actually a thing i think i've mentioned it on here a couple of times but so what's become a personal tradition now for me is right at the start of the season to pick a match in the very first weekend of the fa Cup.

32:30Ian Dennis:So the extra preliminary round, and I've done that now for a number of seasons. It tends to be the weekend before the Community Shield, and I really enjoy that. And also, that is great value. Whereas I find League 2 football is expensive. I think that's costly for a ticket. Obviously, there are various ways and schemes, and whether it's a season ticket or whatever it happens to be, that you can make it cheaper. But if you're buying one-off match for a League 2 game I think that's quite expensive

33:02Ali Bruce-Ball:and even that point in itself John I think is a really interesting one because it is very easy to forget what it's like for a match going fan and how much it costs because we are paid to go and commentate on football and actually just reminding yourself of that and the travel and the food and the tickets and the programs you know whatever level you're watching it and the commitment that fans put in yeah I think that's really important I mean I like Like you, I don't get to too much. One of my favourite things in life, and it's a completely different level, is actually watching my son play football and play rugby and play his sport.

33:38Ali Bruce-Ball:There's nothing I love more than that. And that's a completely different sort of sporting experience. But I adore that. But also actually taking him to Salisbury City locally. I mean, he's chosen Tottenham Hotspur as his team, which I warned him. I did warn him. but you know having taken him to a couple of games there which is obviously a completely different level has also been you know has also been has been great fun but more of that he might be he might be starting to

34:10Ian Dennis:follow Tottenham at just the right time could be decades of decades of relentless and never ending success ahead of yeah yeah

34:19Ali Bruce-Ball:but watching him take it all in and see it for the first time has been a great joy but I also like you John I love live sport, whether working at it or attending. So, like you say, I went to the Six Nations game. That's something I do once a year with a couple of pals. We pick an England game. This year we went over to Rome. And a lot of that obviously is about a couple of days away and having fun in Rome. I mean, it was a brilliant weekend. The sun shone. There were 20 ,000 England fans in the city. Not a hint of trouble. Italy won the game. I'm not that invested in England's performances that that really bothered me.

34:53Ali Bruce-Ball:It was brilliant to celebrate with the Italians. but just the experience of being at live sport is one of my favourite things to do. And if there's a chance to relax and do it without having to think about work, you know, all the better. When you were in the incredible Italian capital and everything that it has to offer,

35:13Ian Dennis:did you go to the bar that Ian Dennis recommended, which was, what was its name again? The Camden Town.

35:20Ali Bruce-Ball:I didn't. Where? You didn't go there. I didn't, no.

35:24Ian Dennis:I was surprised at that.

35:26Ali Bruce-Ball:I've saved that for another trip. I've told this, John, I've told Camden Town. I don't know what the crossover is between our listeners on the Commentator's View and the FPL podcast from BBC Sport. Probably a huge crossover there. So I have told this story. I'll tell it very briefly here just in case people are hearing it for a second time. On the final whistle, so you could obviously see Italy were about to win the game in the Stadio Olimpico, we were sitting amongst quite a lot of Italian fans and we'd been chatting to them during the game and talking about what a historic win it could possibly be.

35:56Ali Bruce-Ball:And I thought, I'm going to film this. I'm going to film the full-time whistle and the reaction in the stands around me because I think this is going to be really interesting. So the whistle goes, and I pan round. And it was brilliant. They're cavorting around and, you know, cock a hoop and dancing and singing. And then one of the chaps who I've been chatting to a bit during the game, I focused the camera in on him for a close-up because he was really lost in the moment. And he spotted me, and he looked straight at the camera and then unleash this stream of Italian invective towards me as an England fan, which I think was done in good humour, but it was a brilliant sort of moment to capture them enjoying their win.

36:35Ian Dennis:Yeah. And actually, going back to the question from Ian, one of the things that I really do enjoy about actually going there just as a normal paying member of the public is, you know, week in, week out, match in after match out, we have to be there hours in advance. And I really enjoy pitching up just as the teams are coming out and getting into position and seeing the start of the match and leaving straight after as well and not having to hang around for hours afterwards as well. So, yeah.

37:11Ali Bruce-Ball:Right. Next contribution is a voice note and it comes from Matt from Redford. ITTV team, Thank you for keeping me company during my Saturday morning walks throughout the season. I'm a huge data nerd. And with the recent boom in statistical data available to everybody, I was wondering what pieces of data do you find as commentators to be the most useful and the most useless when trying to analyse football matches before, during and after? Thanks.

37:41Ian Dennis:Yeah, I mean, it's changed massively, hasn't it? Particularly probably in the last 10 years of all of the various data that there is. And, you know, I think my answer to that is what can translate on the radio for us as radio commentators during the course of a match where, as you know, people are tuning in to hear what's happening in the match, who's winning, who's losing, who's playing well, who's not. What of that information are people going to be able to take in? And, of course, they very often involve numbers. and I think what it is whatever it is it's got to be something that people can take in quickly

38:20Ali Bruce-Ball:and it will make an impact yeah I agree John it's got to add to what you're describing because I think particularly in radio I think radio and television is slightly different and obviously TV can put stats up you can read while you're watching as well but I think there's a danger in a radio commentary of actually forgetting to describe what you're seeing which is our primary purpose of being there and then you've done all this work i did it for the leverkusen arsenal game recently where i really sort of got stuck into the history of leverkusen in the champions league and and all of that and you and there's sort of inside you you want to deliver some of that knowledge partly because you've worked quite hard putting it together but also because you find it interesting but actually always reminding yourself that while the live football is on we're there to commentate on the live football and i totally agree with you it's got to be a digestible stat and something that that adds what you're describing that tells the story that's just not superfluous.

39:13Ali Bruce-Ball:I mean, I know the one you and I, and I'm going to be a bit careful here because Matt from Redford there described himself as a data nerd. So I think he's obviously a fan of the stats. The one you and I chortle at occasionally is the win predictor. So-and-so's got such a chance of doing that. I mean, I will never go anywhere near those. That's not one. you know because i i can see what i'm watching whether it's in game or in a title race i know i know who's got the best chance here i've looked you know that that one is a silly one i think

39:45Ian Dennis:yeah they're very clever the people who are behind those because they make them available and the fact is that commentators you know we're all guilty of this commentators are always looking for things that they can use and they know that and yet and of course cricket is so guilty of this with the win-vis percentage chance. And we see it, you know, it's now part of football as well. And it's just that thing about, you know, Arsenal have now got a 95.5 % chance of winning the Premier League. As opposed to a 95.4 % or a 95.6%. So what is it that's making that? And also, the fact remains, even if they have got a 95 % chance of winning the league, that means there's a 5 % chance that they don't win the league, i.e.

40:40Ian Dennis:they're probably going to win the league, but they might not. That's what it's saying to you. That's what those things are saying to you.

40:47Ali Bruce-Ball:Yeah, and I think we've also got to be careful about context of stats sometimes. I'm not talking necessarily some of the in-depth data that Matt's talking about, but you know sometimes you'll see one that Brentford haven't won at Aston Villa for 75 years. Yeah, but they've only played them three times in those 75 years. So the headline is good, but what it actually means is, you know, you have to make sure that you make that clear, I think, which is why when you find a good stat, you know, something that really sort of... I mean, again, I'll go back to the Leverkusen Arsenal, and it obviously makes sense, this one, but I spotted that Leverkusen had only lost two of their last 19 home games in Europe, and the only two teams that had beaten them were Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

41:33Ali Bruce-Ball:So it basically says to me, you've got to be a pretty good team to beat them at home in recent times, which makes sense because under Xabi Alonso, you know, they did the double in the Bundesliga. Some of that football was in the Europa League as well. So there's context to that too. But, you know, I thought that was quite, you know, PSG and Bayern are the only two teams that have won here in about three and a half years in a series of 19 games. I think that's worth pointing out. Yeah.

41:57Ian Dennis:And also, I think, I'm conscious of the fact You've got to be careful with jargon in that, you know, our generation might be very well aware of what some of the current jargon that is used in terms of football facts and statistics are concerned. But, you know, maybe a large proportion of our listeners won't be so familiar with that.

42:17Ali Bruce-Ball:But also, John, actually, and you and I have both done a bit of Arsenal recently, you know, the set piece stats that are now available to us. I mean, those are invaluable. the way Arsenal are so proficient at that this season and who's not good at defending against them. That's really useful, that is.

42:34Ian Dennis:I agree. So that from Matt in Redford, who also asks, as a fan of football shirts, I was wondering what the team's favourite and least favourite football shirts of all time are. Also, are there any shirts that prove tricky when commentating due to not being able to clearly make out the squad number or player name on the back. It's a shame that Ian has had to leave this podcast. He's had to leave the podcast because he's got something else to do. We must ask him this question. Not in disgrace, John. No, no, he hasn't been sent off. We've not brandished a red card at him. But Ian will love to answer this question.

43:16Ian Dennis:So let's make a note to ask him this. However, you can answer it first.

43:20Ali Bruce-Ball:Yeah. I mean, one I remember in particular, Reading at the Medeski in a certain period when they were in the Premier League and you were high up at the Medeski Stadium. I think the numbers were red, but they didn't have a panel on the back, so you just couldn't make them out. And the blue and white hoops. So they were difficult. Newcastle I've had problems with at times, but the players are really quite recognisable there, so that's less of an issue. Celtic have been tricky before. What about you, John?

43:48Ian Dennis:Celtic in the period where they didn't actually have the numbers on the shirts they just had them on the shorts that was tricky i've got so many stories about not being able to see the numbers i think the classic fa cup tie when the non-league team has striped shirts with with numbers on the back and that's virtually impossible but i think possibly my most memorable one of these sort of incidences was this was at the old atletico Madrid Stadium, the Vicente Calderon, when Atletico Madrid were playing Liverpool. And it was a time when Atletico Madrid had a lot of players who looked very similar.

44:26Ian Dennis:So they were similar-ish height, short back and sides. And I remember them, we were sitting high up at the back of the stand. And as they walked out, they were walking away from us. And I'm looking down at their shirts. And I don't know whether they were special shirts or one-off shirts or whatever I can't remember I remember looking at the shirts and thinking I can't see any of those numbers on the shirts they were indecipherable on the back of the shirts that was a really tough commentary yeah I think I think then though John you use your experience don't you

44:59Ali Bruce-Ball:and you go to sometimes you have to just go a bit generic that Atletico you know clear from their left back position I know always obviously when a player scores you need the name of the player but There are ways to get around not being able to identify every single player at every single moment. Favourite shirts? I've just been in Italy and I do love an Italian football shirt. I mean, I saw a lot of Roma shirts. I do love the Roma shirt. And Fiorentina, who are my team in Italy. It's so distinctive, that colour. There's so few teams that play in that sort of colour. In terms of old, I mean, I'm quite retro.

45:35Ali Bruce-Ball:If I was going to buy a football shirt, John, I'd go retro. I love, you know, my team, Ipswich Town, going to the early 80s. And they had a lovely, it was sponsored by Pioneer. And it was a white pinstripe in the blue. That was a great show. But I also like the ones with the, you know, occasionally teams now go back to the retro. Crystal Palace did it with the sash, the diagonal sash across the front of the, I do like those ones. I do like those.

45:59Ian Dennis:That's interesting because the kit I was going to mention was that Crystal Palace kit. the white kit with the red and blue diagonal stripe across the front. That was a high-quality football kit. And a bit like you with Italy, I've always liked the Argentina shirt. I think the blue and white stripes.

46:20Ali Bruce-Ball:The national ones, John, are great. I mean, the Italian one, again, I love. I mean, the classic Brazil is fantastic, isn't it? Yeah.

46:28Ian Dennis:Yeah, we must remember to ask Ian that question, and I'm going to think of a few more in the short term. So, yes, thank you very much, Matt, for those questions. Let's have this one from Max from Hailing Island near Portsmouth. Hey, guys. Love the podcast. Has anyone ever told you before that it's the perfect company on a dog walk? With social media now giving everyone the platform for an opinion, I did wonder how, if at all, this has affected your work. Do you see the criticism online? Do you use it to improve or do you just ignore it completely? and crucially have you ever altered your style based on anything that you've either seen online or in print which is a great question from max i'm sure we've all got a an answer on that my personal feeling is that you know for a long time i didn't use social media and then i was encouraged to do it and from that point on you know you would see reaction to what you've done and I've personally found that the reaction did influence me and I was not comfortable with that I felt that I'd been influenced by what people were saying and therefore was actually straying a little from the way I wanted to and would naturally have commentated because I was conscious of that and actually I made a conscious decision to then not look at any reaction to anything that I put on social media and I have pretty much stuck to that since then and I feel much more comfortable um from doing that on a slightly light-hearted note on that front on not on not

48:09Ali Bruce-Ball:being aware of what's going on um on on social media uh I do remember commentating on cricket in India probably a few months after I'd gone on to Twitter for the first time for sort of work purposes and I was sitting next to Simon Mann in a commentary box and he was asking me about my experiences and the feedback and whatever and i said what feedback what are you talking about i'm not in contact with anyone on on twitter he said have you not seen he said particularly working in football it's so tribal i'm really surprised you've not got stick from football fans for this that and the other i went honestly i've not not no i said i must be the most unpopular guy in the world i've never seen anything he said you've never touched that button have you and i touched the notifications button and about 4 000 messages appeared and some of them really unsavoury just you know having listened to football i wish it was pandora's but i wish i'd never opened it or touch that button i mean it's not healthy is it you don't go looking for that and i always go back to the words because sometimes people will say lovely things about what you've been saying what you've been doing and sometimes they won't and i always go back to you know rob nothman we've mentioned him plenty of times on this pod before who's given me so many brilliant sort of you know tips and excellent guidance on on commentary and just said you know it's it's never it's never as good as you think it was it's never as bad as you think it was it's always somewhere in the middle and you know i try not to pay any attention to it really yeah and uh you

49:28Ian Dennis:know as i said at the outset my feeling is i don't want to be straight jacketed by noise and criticism from outside i want to do this in the way that i i want to do it and people might people might like it people might not like it but we try to do it to the best of our ability don't we and I think that that criticism, that noise from outside does affect you.

49:52Ali Bruce-Ball:Yeah.

49:52Ian Dennis:Let's finish with this one from Joseph in Enfield, who says, Dear Ali, John and Ian, with Guy Mowbray as the voice on Gladiators and Jonathan Pierce in Robot Wars, as he was telling us on a previous edition of The Commentator's View, and even Dion Dublin headlining Homes Under the Hammer, is there a TV programme that you would like to feature on? I'm guessing Ali is a repair shop type of guy whilst John and Ian would debate over Mastermind or Top of the Pogs and Joseph says I presume Hare Chapman would do the weakest link self-explanatory really brilliant as always Ali?

50:36Ali Bruce-Ball:Yeah, so Mark's appeared on a few recently hasn't he? Mark was on Would I Lie to You and Michael McIntyre's, what's that, is that the wheel, is that one called, where he gets spun around, he was on that recently. I mean, I, has he been running through the, because normally he's,

50:54Ian Dennis:he's quite, normally he's sort of, celebrity,

50:58Ali Bruce-Ball:celebrity master chef, I think there would be another one in the locker. Right. Yeah, yeah. I think John, I mean, the repair shop, that's a good one. It would be quiz for me, although I'd want to be the quiz master. I love her. yeah that's what I that's what I

51:14Ian Dennis:would like to do

51:16Ali Bruce-Ball:yeah yeah I think I've seen Connor do Celebrity Mastermind and do really well but given our experiences in Clash of the Commentators I know I would not perform well under that sort of pressure I just I just wouldn't be good at that but asking the questions what would your

51:31Ian Dennis:speciality speciality

51:33Ali Bruce-Ball:that'd be something 80s John it'd be something maybe 80s film related I think

51:40Ian Dennis:Italian Italian films

51:42Ali Bruce-Ball:No, crikey, no, I wouldn't have a chance of that. What about Ian? What could you see Ian appearing on as a voice? What could he narrate?

51:52Ian Dennis:Do you remember the Indoor League, if they brought that back? Do you remember Fred Truman used to present it? Right. Ian would be good at that.

52:01Ali Bruce-Ball:The chap who used to, I probably should know his name, but narrate Big Brother was, I think, sort of Northumbrian Geordie. bit so sometimes I always because it always made me think of you actually yeah the sort of dear four in the big brother house I you know obviously can't do the accent but um there is a vacancy on

52:20Ian Dennis:house of games at the moment isn't there is there although I don't know that would be yeah no okay

52:24Ali Bruce-Ball:okay we're just loving that out good questions enjoyed those yeah no very good yes and we'll do

52:30Ian Dennis:that again so if you've got any of if you've got any of those we will we'll be doing these on a regular basis you know anything that you want to ask us about football commentary etc etc and as We always say, remember, the idea is that we do the best of our work when we're actually commentating on football matches. So do tune in to all of our various commentaries on Five Live and BBC Sounds. But that is it for this episode. And those questions should be sent to tcv at bbc.co.uk on the email. Or you can send us a message or voice note on WhatsApp to 08000 289369. and remember you can find each and every episode of the commentator's view by scrolling down your football daily feed

53:15Ali Bruce-Ball:what about you on sheepdog trials one man and his dog or something

53:20Ian Dennis:i could hear you bye i'm rich hall and this is sports strangest crimes presents confessions of a superbowl streaker When people ask me what I do, I say to them, well, by day or by night. The story of one man's mission to conquer the holy grail of streaking the Super Bowl. Mark Roberts is too lively for this buddy.

53:43Ali Bruce-Ball:He's just like the entertainer. Mark pushes the boundaries of what is socially acceptable.

53:50Ian Dennis:No chance, Texas. It's really strict, but then the moral thoughts about it. The moral thought, hang on. What are you about? Sports Strangers Crimes presents Confessions of a Super Bowl Streaker. Listen on BBC Sounds.

54:26to trusted, independent journalism and storytelling. It all starts with a subscription to bbc.com and the BBC app. Find out more at bbc.com slash unlimited.